Kadeau København

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

From a Beach on Bornholm to the Heart of Copenhagen

Kadeau began not in a city kitchen but on the sandy shores of Øster Sømarken, on the southernmost tip of the Danish island of Bornholm. Founded in 2007 by childhood friends and Bornholm natives Nicolai Nørregaard, Rasmus Kofoed, and Magnus Klein Kofoed, the original restaurant was built around the island's traditions, produce, and particular way of life. When Kadeau Copenhagen opened in 2011, in the historic Christianshavn quarter, it carried that same identity into an urban setting — not as a replica, but as a continuation.

In 2022, head chef Kyumin Hahn, a long-term collaborator, joined the senior management as partner, deepening the team that has quietly become one of Scandinavia's most decorated.

Recognition Earned Over Time

The accolades reflect a sustained commitment rather than a single moment. Kadeau Copenhagen was awarded two Michelin Stars in 2018 and has held them since. In 2023, both the Copenhagen and Bornholm restaurants received a Michelin Green Star, recognising their approach to sustainability and sourcing. Most recently, White Guide awarded Kadeau Copenhagen its Global Masters level distinction — the jury noting that Nicolai Nørregaard and his team's latest "hengemte" (preserved) menu is sharper and more flavourful than ever, set within a beautifully spare Nordic dining room where everything from the table decorations to the ceramics carries a reference to Bornholm.

The Food and Its Source

The menu — around fifteen servings — is shaped entirely by season and by Bornholm's distinctive terroir. The island's unusually long summers allow the team to cultivate ingredients like figs and mulberries that would not survive elsewhere in Scandinavia. Most produce is grown or foraged on the island, supplemented by suppliers from across the Nordics who share the same philosophy.

Much of that produce comes from the Kadeau garden, located less than a kilometre from the Bornholm restaurant. Started in 2012 by Nicolai's father Flemming, the garden now spans four plots including two greenhouses, and supplies both restaurants with fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, and honey through the warmer months. During winter, the team relies on what has been carefully preserved from the season before — a practice central to the kitchen's character.

A Room That Reflects an Island

The dining room in Christianshavn is clean and Nordic in feel, with an open kitchen that operates with visible precision. The ceramics on every table are made by Torben Lov, a ceramicist whose studio sits on Bornholm's east coast. For over fifteen years, Nicolai has worked directly with Torben — sketching designs, choosing materials — so that each season brings a new line of tableware. The relationship between plate and dish runs both ways: sometimes the menu shapes the ceramics, sometimes the ceramics shape the menu.

It is this coherence — between island, garden, kitchen, and table — that makes Kadeau Copenhagen something more than a fine dining destination. The Nordic cuisine here is not a style applied to ingredients; it is the ingredients, and the place they come from.